Facts of the Case
Munson P. Hunter III pleaded guilty to wire fraud affecting a financial institution under a plea agreement containing a waiver of his right to appeal, and was sentenced to 51 months in prison plus supervised release that included a condition requiring him to take any mental health medication his physician prescribed. Hunter appealed the medication condition as a violation of his due process liberty interests, but the Fifth Circuit dismissed that challenge as barred by the appeal waiver.
Questions
Does an appeal waiver bar all claims except for ineffective assistance of counsel or a sentence exceeding the statutory maximum?
Does such a waiver become ineffective if the sentencing judge later tells the defendant they can appeal, and the government fails to object?
Conclusions
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On June 18, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court held 8-1 in Hunter v. United States that an appeal waiver in a plea agreement is unenforceable when enforcing it would result in a miscarriage of justice, meaning it would leave in place an egregious sentencing error so obvious and extreme that it would bring the judicial system into disrepute.
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